


starlight

by tazmilys



Category: Mother 3
Genre: Gen, also this Is Not lucatora please don't take it like that, duster/boney/claus are mentioned but not relevant enough to get their own tags, lucas has a lot of problems and kuma tries her best, post tanetane island, this isn't any Big Important work so don't expect it to be great
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-31
Updated: 2017-03-31
Packaged: 2018-10-13 04:16:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10506156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tazmilys/pseuds/tazmilys
Summary: The two come to a stop in a clearing. The moon cast long shadows in the grass, and star shine glimmered in the trees. A breeze blew through and made Lucas shiver, fidgeting in place to be moving.Kumatora leads him to the middle and simply sits there. Lucas is dumbfounded for a split second, why come all the way out here if we could've just sat back at camp?As if she read his mind, she motions for him to sit as well, and he complies. He tilts his head up at the stars, watching the glittering expanse stretch above their heads.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I kinda wrote half of this one day then finished it a month later @ midnight so sorry if it's Not Great

A glimpse of some metal-clad aircraft flashes overhead, through the trees, and Lucas looks back down at the campfire, the night sky's atmosphere having been broken.  
It'd been Lucas's idea to camp in the woods for the night ("I don't want to see Tazmily like that until I've rested"), and it seemed like Kumatora and Duster agreed heartily but didn't want to admit it.  
The boy's leaning against the trunk of a tree, one knee against his chest, holding his weapon in his hands without speaking. A flash of movement catches his eye and he almost jumps- too big to be harmless, he figures- before realizing it was just Kumatora shifting awake and leaving the tent. The tents were an investment a while back at some Tazmily shop Lucas couldn't quite remember the name of. He never cared to learn the details of anything in his hometown after the pigmasks took over, really.  
He nods to her in greeting, and she lets out a short groaning sound, not quite a word, in response. Turning to take a look back in the Tanetane woods, checking for any threats, he lets out a small sound of worry.  
The events that day had been taxing and, really, Lucas wanted nothing more than to lay down and sleep, but, he was worried. Scared, even, of anything that might be lurking in the forest. He had to keep his friends safe, even if that day had made him painfully aware of his past failures to do the same for his family.  
"You don't need to be keeping watch, Lucas." Her voice breaks the silence and startles him, even if he knew she was there beforehand. Her expression turns worried, and she sits next to him in the grass, campfire burning away for illumination.  
"Have you gotten any sleep?" The shaking of his head makes her fretting worse, and she gives him a soft pat on the shoulder. After a few moments of silence, he leans on her side, and almost considers closing his eyes there. He looks up to see her still half-asleep eyes scanning the forest for danger, and he muses her words of how he "doesn't need to be awake" were hypocritical in their own right.   
It sounded like her, really, to brush off something like danger to keep him happy. He twirls the club in his hands for a bit, and Kuma glances down at him.  
"Got a lot on your mind?" He nods, and she lets out a sigh through her nose. He assumed she agreed with him, the hallucinations prior preying on their greatest insecurities. He glanced sideways. She said something else that he pretended not to hear, an offer of letting him vent to her.  
It'd been a long time, really, since he'd talked to anyone for more than a few sentences. He was always a quiet kid, much quieter than his brother, and the events three years ago had pushed him to barely speak at all. In fact, Kumatora was the first person in a long time he'd openly held verbal conversations with.   
She became very important to him, really. She became the stand-in older sibling in Lucas's eyes that he was convinced would be left taken from him forever.  
She moves to stand up and he lets out a noise of surprise, protest, even, and looks up at her. She held her hands in her pockets and glanced around a bit before motioning her head for Lucas to stand.   
"Wanna take a walk?" He nearly began to protest, before she shook her head. "We won't go far, Duster and Boney will be fine."   
Reluctantly, he agreed with a nod, moving to stand as well. The two ventured into the woods, glow of the campfire trailing behind them. As much as he hated to admit it, this part of the woods felt familiar, even at night, and when they turned a bend he half expected Claus to be there again.  
Of course, he wasn't there, and Lucas wondered if he felt better or worse about that.  
He breathed a sigh through his nose, and Kumatora reached down to pat him on the shoulder. He jumped a bit, but after that didn't say anything. The two continued their venture through the woodland swamp, the sound of crickets and distant blinking of fireflies building a pleasant ambience.  
The two come to a stop in a clearing. The moon cast long shadows in the grass, and star shine glimmered in the trees. A breeze blew through and made Lucas shiver, fidgeting in place to be moving.  
Kumatora leads him to the middle and simply sits there. Lucas is dumbfounded for a split second, why come all the way out here if we could've just sat back at camp?  
As if she read his mind, she motions for him to sit as well, and he complies. He tilts his head up at the stars, watching the glittering expanse stretch above their heads.  
"I used to watch the stars back at Osohe Castle." Kumatora starts, trying to break the ice. He looks at her, curious. He turns his gaze skyward once again when she points to the sky.  
"Back when I lived with the Magypsies too, even. That one," She pointed to a constellation that Lucas couldn't make the shape of, "Was Missy's favorite. It was called Ursa-Something, I think."  
Lucas cracks a small smile as she lowers her hand. Even in moments like these that she'd refuse to say were 'sappy', Kuma always seemed to show her character with every word.  
'maybe you're looking into it too much.' Lucas frowned at the thought, and Kumatora seemed to notice the change in attitude.   
"You alright buddy?" When Lucas didn't respond, just kept looking away, was when Kumatora sighed and decided to be more blunt.  
"Today was hard on all of us," She began, looking into the woods and picking her speech carefully. "On you the most, I bet."  
Lucas leaned on her again, and she resolved to continue. "We gotta move forward, though."   
She looks down at him, and Lucas's eyes are focused on something far away, as if he were focused on his memories rather than the surroundings.  
"The past is the past, and worrying ourselves sick- literally- ain't gonna help." Lucas's shoulders slumped a bit.  
"Of course it's okay to get sad about stuff, especially if it's in our faces but we have to pull forward-"  
Kumatora froze when she noticed the young boy's shoulders were shaking, and when she looked at him, tears ran down his red cheeks and Kumatora immediately wrapped her arms around him in a comforting manner.  
"Its- Its alright I didn't mean to-" She stammered, worried half to death that she'd made him cry. The boy's arms grabbed her hoodie tightly, and she pat his back for comfort.  
At last, in between sobs, she made out a few broken words.  
"I just-" Lucas began, sniffling loudly. "I- I m-miss him so m-much,"   
She tightened her arms around him. "It's okay, I've got you, it's alright..." She whispered, waiting until the child's breathing calmed before shifting.  
Realizing he'd fallen asleep, Kumatora let out a small chuckle. Dying starlight glittered on the grass as the first rays of the sun shone on the horizon, tinting part of the jet black sky a deep maroon and catching the light of the clouds.  
Standing with the child in her arms, Kumatora carried him back to their makeshift camp. The fire had since died, and it would be hours yet until the others woke.  
Kumatora set Lucas down on a blanket on the tent floor, and, emerging once again, looked up at the sky.  
'today was hard on all of us.' Her own words rung in her mind, glancing back at the tent. She remembered Lucas's history with his brother now being gone, and his memories of watching his mother before she died.   
She remembered Duster's strained relationship with Wess, his father, and let out a small sigh.  
She sat in the grass, leaning against a tree just as Lucas had before. 'some more than others,' She mused, and closed her eyes.  
'they've been through so much; it's the least I can do to help how I can.' She thought as she drifted to sleep, birdsong sounding somewhere on the other end of the island.


End file.
